Oustanding Speckled Trout Article in Nola.com

Todd Masson again pens an outstanding article. It illustrates how crazy the debate has been in LA. Depending on who you talk to, it's either been the worst year ever or a great year.

http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.s...d-trout_a.html


It's weird how it is. Between me and my dad and our cousins, we share reports and kinda of gauge how it's been between us. Last year was really bad for all of us. This year me and my dad have done better than last year but not outstanding. We're not limiting out or anything but we're catching decent numbers of trout on almost every trip. My cousin and his crew have had another tough year. It just shows how much it varies from person to person. I think this year has been good (not great) but all the small trout is encouraging for the future. I think Mason sums this up nicely in his article.

One of the problems with articles like this is people are speculating about it being a "good" or "bad" season. Nobody is keeping accurate records of the number and sizes of fish they catch or where and when they caught them.

So, when people say stuff like "this is the worst year in 20 years" and "this is the best year in five years" you have to take it with a grain of salt. How do they know? It's all subjective recollections and comparisons with no actual data to back it up.

I'm surprised the author actually used hearsay and barbershop talk in this article. As if local gossip was proof of anything.

I completely agree about data being needed. Judging a season by what 1 guy says in a certain area is way too small a sample size. Masson isn't using those quotes to qualify them as facts, just to illustrates how extreme the 2 sides are. LA has had a crazy year of debate. Their state government & the la cca chapters have been in the middle of some wild debating.

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Originally Posted by BeastMan

It's weird how it is. Between me and my dad and our cousins, we share reports and kinda of gauge how it's been between us. Last year was really bad for all of us. This year me and my dad have done better than last year but not outstanding. We're not limiting out or anything but we're catching decent numbers of trout on almost every trip. My cousin and his crew have had another tough year. It just shows how much it varies from person to person. I think this year has been good (not great) but all the small trout is encouraging for the future. I think Mason sums this up nicely in his article.

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It's actually been the opposite for me over the last 2 years. Last year was probably one of the best years that I've had as far as numbers and overall size. This year has been very slow, although I have also taken quite a bit fewer trips this year. I also did catch my personal best trout this year, so I can't complain too much!

I do find it kind of funny when one person says there is a major fisheries issue when they aren't catching many fish, but someone else will then post a report of a limit of trout. There's usually way more to it than "there's no more fish!!!". The folks in LA are certainly vocal about their opinions on their fish though.

MSUDawg4Life, you are correct about the records. Also, like I said, too many people will have a few bad trips and automatically assume there aren't enough fish and say "this is the worst year I can ever remember." I do actually keep records of every trip (date, tides, water temp, fish caught, baits, moon phase, etc.) in a spreadsheet. This of course does nothing for the big picture of a fishery, but it has taught me a few patterns over the last two years that I've done it. I recommend everyone do this. You may be surprised at some of the little patterns you notice if you fish the same areas often.

ETA: Beast, I agree about the huge numbers of school trout and the future. Between myself and other reports I've seen, there are a ton of trout in the 12-12.999" range in MS right now. Many of those ought to be perfect frying size by the time they make it into the rivers this fall/winter.

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Originally Posted by SpeckleDawg

It's actually been the opposite for me over the last 2 years. Last year was probably one of the best years that I've had as far as numbers and overall size. This year has been very slow, although I have also taken quite a bit fewer trips this year. I also did catch my personal best trout this year, so I can't complain too much!

I do find it kind of funny when one person says there is a major fisheries issue when they aren't catching many fish, but someone else will then post a report of a limit of trout. There's usually way more to it than "there's no more fish!!!". The folks in LA are certainly vocal about their opinions on their fish though.

MSUDawg4Life, you are correct about the records. Also, like I said, too many people will have a few bad trips and automatically assume there aren't enough fish and say "this is the worst year I can ever remember." I do actually keep records of every trip (date, tides, water temp, fish caught, baits, moon phase, etc.) in a spreadsheet. This of course does nothing for the big picture of a fishery, but it has taught me a few patterns over the last two years that I've done it. I recommend everyone do this. You may be surprised at some of the little patterns you notice if you fish the same areas often.

ETA: Beast, I agree about the huge numbers of school trout and the future. Between myself and other reports I've seen, there are a ton of trout in the 12-12.999" range in MS right now. Many of those ought to be perfect frying size by the time they make it into the rivers this fall/winter.

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It has been hit or miss for us. I killed them back in May wade fishing at Cat. The hotter it gets it seems the harder it gets to find them but once you find them we have been able to work on them. MY buddy has caught three 7 pounders this year. We have not fished over in the marsh any this year but I know some people who have and does well sometimes. They just do not always bite like people think they should and they say there just are not many fish out there. I think they are there, but are under an extreme amount of fishing pressure therefore taking a more skilled fishermen to locate and catch them.

You have to take a number in south bayou or smugglers to fish on most saturdays.

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Originally Posted by KennyPowers2

...I think they are there, but are under an extreme amount of fishing pressure therefore taking a more skilled fishermen to locate and catch them.

You have to take a number in south bayou or smugglers to fish on most saturdays.

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This. Just too many people out there to consistently kill it in places that are obvious and easily accessible. I think if you want to consistently catch fish, you've got to spend some time exploring on your own.